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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28077675">A Chance Encounter</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganFaire/pseuds/MorganFaire'>MorganFaire</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bleach</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Fluff, M/M, Original Character(s), Other, Pining, Pre-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:22:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,027</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28077675</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganFaire/pseuds/MorganFaire</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ukitake recounts his first meeting with a strange young girl to his best friend and fellow captain Kyouraku Shunsui.<br/>**This is /technically/ part of my ongoing 'Mysterious Shinigami' series, but can absolutely be read as a stand-alone bit of fluff!**</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kyouraku Shunsui &amp; Ukitake Juushirou, Kyouraku Shunsui/Ukitake Juushirou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Chance Encounter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>**Contains romaji - translations in the End Notes! Romaji presented in Bold Italics.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>A Chance Encounter.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>My weekend was certainly not as restful as I had intended for it to be, but that is not to say that it was ruined. In fact, I would say that the opposite is true. Though I am now back in Seireitei, my mind still lingers--</p><p> "U~kitake?" He doesn't even give me a chance to stand up before barging into the room. "You <em>are</em> here! Have you had any tea this morning?"</p><p>His name is Kyouraku Shunsui. Together, we are the first two Gotei Captains to have graduated from Yamamoto-sensei's Shinigami Academy. We also happen to be the only two wielders of 'dual blade' zanpakutou currently in Seireitei. </p><p>"No, I haven't," I said, finally answering his question.</p><p>"Then it's a good thing I came by! Is that your spare haori?"</p><p>He's always been a very observant man, but to notice something like this was...peculiar. "How can you tell?"</p><p>"Well, it stinks of moth-balls in here for a start. And it's still got the folds from when it was first packed into a box! So, did you lose it?"</p><p>"Eh, not exactly. It's a long story."</p><p>"How intriguing! You should know by now that I always have time to listen to your stories, Ukitake, no matter how long they may be."</p><p>It wasn't an exaggeration. For as long as we've known each other, Kyouraku has always been more than happy to listen to my stories. "I met a very curious little girl this weekend," I begin.</p><p>I can always tell when he's interested, for his eyebrows will almost disappear into his hairline, and he will lean in closer.</p><p>One of his eyebrows goes higher than the other. "You went home to rest this weekend," he said in a questioning tone.</p><p>He's not wrong. I did leave Seireitei on Friday evening to rest at my family home. "I got restless, and I do like visiting Rukongai whenever I have the chance."</p><p>He rubs his fingers over his stubble. "Fair enough. So, this curious girl is from Rukongai?"</p><p>For a moment, all I can do is nod. I know Kyouraku to be a good and honest man, a man of good judgement with an honourable heart. Gods know that I trust this man with my life, yet I still hesistate. "Her name is Michiko. Fujimori Michiko."</p><p>"A Fujimori girl?! Now that is a surprise. Is she as beautiful as the stories suggest?"</p><p>"In the same way as I might call a baby sister beautiful, yes. Biggest and roundest eyes I have ever seen, the same colour as a freshly polished zanpakutou's blade. But that's not the point, Kyouraku. I only mention her family name because it is pertinent to the story. The reason why that's important will hopefully be obvious, but this story can never go beyond these walls."</p><p>He exhales slowly over the rim of his cup of green tea, clearly taking note of my serious tone and expression. "I'm listening," he said after a long pause.</p><p>"I was walking near the river in the Upper districts when I saw this tiny thing hoist up her kimono and walk into the water. It was odd for me, seeing such a nicely dressed little girl purposefully wade into this water. I know my own sisters would never dream of doing such a thing! And she was completely oblivious to everyone and everything around her. I stopped to watch her, because it's very rare to see young children enjoying themselves like she was," I pause to take a drink.</p><p>"But you had no idea who she was at this point?"</p><p>"None whatsoever," I answered. "They say you should never take your eyes off a child and it's true. I had turned my attentions to an unscruplous looking fellow for no more than a second when she screamed and fell backwards into the water. '<em><strong>Tonbo-san ha bakamono</strong>!'</em> was the first thing she said. She did not cry about being knocked over, or fuss over being completely soaked from the neck down. She just sat in the water. I thought maybe she was hurt, so I walked over. I said, 'Maybe <strong><em>Tonbo-san</em> </strong>wanted to be your friend," Kyouraku starts laughing, so I take the opportunity to have another sip of tea.</p><p>"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. She really screamed over a dragonfly?"</p><p>I have to chuckle as well. "She did. It was a very large dragonfly, mind you. When I offered her my hand to help her out of the river, the same dragonfly landed on my palm. It was about as long as my middle finger! When she turned around to look at me I had noticed her hairpiece - a miniature wisteria branch with a camellia flower. For as carefree as she seemed when she was playing, she was clearly wary of me. I tried to make a joke by saying, '<em>Tonbo-san</em> thought the flower in your hair was real, and he's really sorry for scaring you'. I offered to help her out of the water again after the dragonfly flew off, but she was still very cautious. 'I do not want to get shinigami-sama wet', she told me. The only way I could convince her to come out of the water was to get myself wet first. And by the gods that water was cold! Her kimono was soaked through, so I bundled her up in my haori. She had no idea what is was," Kyouraku puts his hand up to stop me.</p><p>"Wait. She knew you were a shinigami, yet she didn't know what a haori was? A very curious girl indeed!"</p><p>"But what makes it even more curious is that I was not the first Captain she met that day. I think we should circle back to that a little later, though. When I told her I recognised her family name, it was like she had no idea she was noble-born. She speaks like a noble, and certainly seems to understand the idea of respecting her elders, but beyond that? I think she hasn't been taught anything that could be seen as 'not lady-like'. She is being trained to be the 'perfect' wife, and it breaks my heart. Honestly, Kyouraku, I feel closer to this little girl than I do any of my own sisters."</p><p>He smiles and dips his head in a nod. "I can tell. I haven't seen you speak of anyone or anything with such passion and love since your <strong><em>Sougyo no Kotowari</em> </strong>first materialised on our quests for Bankai!"</p><p>I feel the heat of embarrassment creeping up my neck. It's mainly from the shock of Kyouraku remembering such a thing. I have to clear my throat before speaking again. "Anyway, she mentioned that her eldest sister had already had her marriage arranged by the time she was Michiko's age, and I mentioned off-handedly that my decision to become a shinigami had convinced my parents not to seek any arrangements for me. I didn't want to scare her by mentioning my illness, you see. But the way her eyes lit up at the thought of not having to marry! She asked if she could also be a shinigami, and I answered with another question."</p><p>I see him lean forward even more, his elbows now balancing on the very edges of his knees. "The hunger question! But at this point you'd already come into physical contact with her, and she didn't collapse. Surely that would point to her not having any spiritual power at all."</p><p>"And <em>that</em>, my dear friend, is why she is such a curious little girl! Her answer was yes, she does get hungry," his eyebrows move once more to his hairline. "Now, you know how I like to carry food with me when I go to Rukongai?"</p><p>"A 'just in case' box for situations rather like this, when you might need to revive a person. Lemme guess, you weren't entirely convinced by her answer?"</p><p>"Exactly. I offered her a <strong><em>dango</em></strong>, and she looked at it like she had absolutely no idea what to do with it. At that point, I was almost convinced. Then her stomach rumbled, and my heart sank."</p><p>"So her hesitation to eat wasn't because she thought she'd be caught out in her lie," I watch his face for the moment realisation strikes. "Oh jeez. She'd never seen any food before that <strong><em>dango</em></strong>?! The poor thing. How old?"</p><p>"Almost four, but small enough to pass as a toddler. I had to show her how to eat," I shake my head, a sudden wave of nausea sweeping over me.</p><p>Perhaps sensing my inability to continue, he begins verbalising the thoughts running through his head. "And yet she remained conscious. Her spiritual power would have to be insanely high! To withstand physical contact - no matter how brief - with a captain-class shinigami at any age is impressive to begin with, but a toddler-sized four year old who'd never eaten before?! Sod the Academy. This girl needs to be here in Seireitei as soon as possible!"</p><p>"I completely agree. However, it may not be as simple as that."</p><p>Kyouraku squeezes his eyes closed as the pieces fall into place. "This is why you mentioned her status as a Fujimori. That family is notorious for not allowing their girls to join the military, and because they are one of the Noble Houses...we can't interfere. Oh man, what a pickle! Are there any loopholes, or ways to bend the rules?" He snaps his fingers, an idea popping into his head. "I got it! We say she's at risk of inadvertantly causing her family harm--"</p><p>He stops when I shake my head. I'd already dismissed this plan. "The only way around it would be to marry her out of the family, and she is many years away from being of age."</p><p>We both fall silent for a long spell.</p><p>"You said you wrapped her in your haori, but I get the sense there's more to the story of why you're not wearing that one. Am I wrong?"</p><p>"No, you're not wrong. At one point in our conversation, she had asked me to fetch her father from one of the buildings nearby. She could somehow sense rain on the air, she said. The establishment in question...is not exactly a good place for children, so it meant I would have to leave her alone. Just as her father had done. I suggested simply asking her father if I could take her back to my home for lunch, because if she could indeed sense a storm, they would be caught in it. And she was still shivering from being in the river at this point. It went against my better judgement, but I placed her beneath an overhanging roof and went to find her father."</p><p>He exhales through pursed lips. "And when you came out?"</p><p>"She was gone. I left her for no more than five minutes, and someone vanished her."</p><p>"This is sounding more and more like the plot of a novel! I'm guessing you found her eventually, but how?"</p><p>"Her hairpiece had fallen out. Combined with my haori, I was able to track her with <em><strong>kakushitsuijyaku</strong>. </em>The fools had not gone very far, and they were far too busy discussing a ransom figure to hear my incantation for a <strong><em>Tenran</em></strong>. I feared I had also caught the little Fujimori in the blast or the resulting rubble, but she was entirely unscathed and still huddled in my haori. And this is why I have to wear my back-up today," I pause to grab something from beneath my desk.</p><p>His eyes widen as I spread the ruined haori out on the tabletop. "I thought you said she wasn't hurt!"</p><p>"There was not a single scratch on her."</p><p>Kyouraku picks up my haori from the desk and examines the various holes more closely. Many of them are small and insignificant, but he finds a few that are large enough for him to poke a finger into. I can't help but laugh when he holds the fabric over his eye, realising that one of the holes was big enough for him to see through unhindered.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I really hope you enjoyed reading! Here's some translations, done in order of appearance. ^,^</p><p>- "Tonbo-san ha bakamono!". 'Tonbo' = dragonfly. 'Bakamono' = idiot; moron. "Mr. Dragonfly is an idiot!" (roughly). [Extra: the 'ha' here is a particle, so it's pronounced 'wa'].<br/>- "Sougyo no Kotowari". The name of Ukitake's zanpakutou. Roughly translates as "Truth of Pisces".<br/>- Dango. A dumpling, usually sweet, and served on a skewer.<br/>- "Kakushitsuijyaku". Bakudou ('way of binding') technique #58. 'Summoning of the Tracking Sparrows'. Gives coordinates of a person/persons based on reiatsu signature.<br/>- "Tenran". Hadou ('way of destruction') technique #58. Translates to 'Vigorous Tempest'. Summons a tornado.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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